Plastic seconds
You may remember my review of Offset Warehouse fabrics. Charlie Ross, the director, invited me along to her launch, and since then I have followed her blog and Instagram with interest. Recently she covered the work of Maria from Plastic Seconds. Maria Papadimitriou makes amazing one off pieces from rubbish, recycling plastic items into interesting and unique wearable pieces. Here are some examples.
I commented and then discovered I had won a wonderful prize – a piece of bespoke, recycled jewellery. To be honest I thought that I would just get something from the web site, such as one of the amazing items above! I hadn’t realised what I had won was an act of co-creation and I would need to collect some items for Maria to work with.
At first I looked around at my bathroom supplies and then at my pens to see if any of them were finished. But unfortunately I didn’t have loads of pen caps, for example. I thought about offering hundreds of metal fasteners I had recycled from work when we got rid of our old lanyards. I couldn’t bear for these to be thrown out so I have two large bags of them (do let me know if you have any ideas for these please). I found a pair of ear plugs (unused). This is one of the issues – I only recycle certain items, such as tooth picks, when they are used. But I wouldn’t want to wear a used one of these TePes in my ears, for example.
Then Esme came up with the answer. She had been sorting out her children’s toys and had a bag full of broken and lost plastic toys/rubbish – Happy Meals, free gifts, pound shop presents. I actually hate these sort of toys. I prefer hand made toys, wood, simple items or just adult things like pans and brushes (so middle class). But I have to admire the creativity of the people behind these goods and there is something compelling about all that colourful plastic. The green stuff, bottom right, is an orange bag.
Now I have posted my collection to Maria I just have to wait. I’ll show you what comes back.
Have you ever made something from rubbish? Or your own unique jewellery? I imagine wearing items like these would certainly stimulate a conversation – maybe that is the way to save the planet.
And from one lovely surprise in the post to a bit of a let down.
I bought 50cms of fabric from a small UK internet company called the haberdashery. When It eventually arrived (over a week later) I pulled a thread on the grain so I could even it up. Then I discovered that the fabric only measured 48cms! I contacted the company. Not because 2cms is that important, but I felt short changed as these arty Japanese fabrics are relatively expensive (£18 p/m plus postage). I complained that the fabric was short as well as late, but the proprietor said she had cut the fabric herself and she was “sure it was at least 50cms”.
Also considering “the trouble she had gone to get the fabric” to me I was being “unfair”. She would take the fabric back but would not reimburse either the original postage or my return postage. (2.95 each way). So do I lose £5.90 or 2cms? I also read their small print.
“We try very hard to ensure that our fabric is measured and cut to a high degree of accuracy but we do reserve the right for a 3.5cm margin of error on all cuts”.
If you buy half a metre this could mean you get only 46.5cm. Is this normal? My own experience – in real life stores – is that the cutter always cuts a little bit bigger, just in case they fail to cut on the grain. I was impressed by Ditto fabrics as she goes to some trouble to cut on the grain which is economical, fair and less wasteful. What do you think of this? Is such a disclaimer, and such a cavalier attitude to customer service, normal with internet vendors?
Simonetta dress – Vogue Couturier Design 1466
On a whim I drifted out one lunchtime to the weird charity shop near work. Occasionally I find nice things in there. This week I struck really lucky.
This 1965 pattern by Simonetta of Italy is a one-Piece Sleeveless dress with bias-cut, loose waistcoat effect in front creates a two-piece look. Half belt controls slight ease at back. On the internet this pattern is available for about £30.
You may remember my post on Fabiani. “Simonetta” was Mrs Fabiani. Apparently Simonetta was one of the best known names in American fashion after the second world war, due to relentless promotion by American Vogue and Bergdorf Goodman. She was already a well known designer before her (second) marriage to Alberto Fabiani, launching just after the war in 1946, during which she had been imprisoned for her anti-fascist activities. She wrote;
“To understand how difficult it was to open a maison de couture and have a show with 14 models just after the liberation of Rome by the Allies, one must remember the general situation at that time. Materials and trimmings were very scarce. The most surprising and common materials had to be used to make the extraordinary collection—dish cloths, gardeners’ aprons, butlers’ uniforms, strings and ribbons, and everything that could be found on the market.”
The dish cloth collection! Gardener’s aprons! How exciting that must have been. Fairly soon Simonetta was dressing Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall and Jackie Kennedy. Here is an interesting blog post from Small Earth Vintage.
She also produced lots of patterns for Vogue and Spadea during the 1960s. All these dresses are rather plain but so nice with just one key feature. They sum up a youthful elegance, perfectly fitted to the 1960s. The simple lines often belied rather complex techniques of achieving shape and structure with couture techniques.
But it wasn’t the pattern I bought, it was the dress!
It is made from a reasonable quality pink linen, and is underlined with a synthetic pink lining. It has a metal zip. I realised from the label that it was a Vogue Couturier design (the labels were given away with the patterns). But it was the sheer work that had gone into the dress that convinced me that it was a 1960s VC. It has an underbodice to allow a close fit and make the bodice sit very slightly proud, imitating a waist-coat. It has a waist stay too. The seams are finished with edge stitching. The colour is quite hard to photograph. It really is halfway between pink and peach.
At the time I didn’t know who the designer was but the sewing techniques were so definitively from the 1960s I tried it on (over my clothes – this shop is so scruffy it doesn’t have a changing room). At £5 I thought it was worth taking home for a wash. It does smell a bit fusty!
I searched images of Vogue Couturier patterns from the 1960s and quickly found the images. It was easy to spot the dress due to the cross bust dart and the waist-coat detail.
In terms of size it seems to fit me although the bust darts are not ideally placed and I had to move the buttons on the back belt to pull it in a little. This makes me think it was made up as a standard size vintage 12 (bust 34″). I find the armhole facing a little on the bulky side and the shoulders just a tiny bit wide for me. But it is a lovely dress and I am delighted with my £5 investment. I feel I really got a bit of handmade couture history.
Do you look ridiculous in your clothes?
Sam of Stitched Up by Samantha writes:
I’m curious as to when you wear your hats. I love hats myself, but never know when or how to wear them… I always feel faintly ridiculous if I’m wearing one anywhere other than to a wedding.
I think there are two questions here. One is about feeling “faintly ridiculous” about wearing something you love. And then there is the issue of hats which are controversial, for some reason.
I know this feeling, of course. I have experienced family members and my Mother’s carer laughing at me when I put on a hat. Even I have colluded with you to refer to them as “bonkers”. Hats can make the wearer and the viewer feel nervous. I don’t know if you have seen the film about our first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, but The Iron Lady starts with two male advisors telling Margaret to “Lose the Hat!”
So today I will write about feeling ridiculous, or overdressed, or inappropriate in our outfits. And in a few days I will come back to hats.
Maybe some of the marvellous lines of TS Eliot’s poem The Love song of Alfred J Prufrock, resonate with those of us who sometimes feel ridiculed.
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?……
I grow old… I grow old…
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
It’s such a powerful poem and it focuses (in part) on clothes and how we are perceived, especially as we age. Prufrock (he has a dress in his name) is worried about his old fashioned taste – his stiff collar, old style necktie, dated morning coat, and white flannels for summer visits to the beach. He also feels confused about how to wear them. Is it OK for an older man to roll up his trousers and paddle in the water when a full plunge is out of the question? And as his body changes – losing weight and muscle tone, losing his hair, losing his teeth – he wonders if he will be spoken of negatively, or with pity, behind his back. And his reaction is so profound – “Do I dare disturb the universe?”
So this is what I thought of when Sam said “I love hats” but then worries about wearing one.
Are there certain clothes that you love, but you feel you cannot wear? One of the bloggers I read mentioned how she had finally accepted she could no longer wear shorts (she felt her thighs were not attractive enough to display). And many women are concerned about exposing their arms. Others worry that because they are heavier than they want to be they cannot wear trousers, or shorter skirts or whatever. Personally I have had to recognise that my skin is losing its tone and is best covered up most of the time. Moderating styles seems to me to be a perfectly sensible option. My view is that longer shorts, or shorts over tights, or shorts for the beach are all ways to get around the idea that maybe your legs are less beautiful than you would wish.
Of course very young men and women look great in just about anything – their shining hair, teeth and skin, slim physique and energy make a loose T and tatty shorts look amazing.
On the other hand losing touch with fashion and style as you leave your teens is very sad and ages you more than your wrinkles, flabby arms, thickened waist or liver spots on your hands.
If you love a short skirt, or jeans, or a plunging back you really ought to wear them. And so long as you find the right version for you then they will look great. Anne McClure of Anne’s Blog sent me a fantastic link to an Ozwald Boateng interview where (to paraphrase) he says – “don’t do ordinary (wearing a very conventional grey suit/white shirt), don’t try to look less good than you could, wear any colour you like – as long as it suits you”.
He emphasises individuality and feeling good about yourself. I think this is the key. Enjoy your clothes. Wear what you love.
Of course we have to bear in mind the reaction we get, and I think this is the issue here. Sam looks splendid in a hat, and loves them. But she is worried by what others will think – and I really understand and recognise this. As I put an outfit together I often think – is it too much? is it OK for work? Should I lose the belt/brooch/lipstick? I ask my husband or daughter for their view as I do trust their judgement and you want to know how others see you. And the advice is really helpful and welcomed, but sometimes I feel I dress a little more conservatively than I feel like.
Stephanie has been discussing Italian sales assistants – who apparently don’t hold back on the advice in the changing room. Steph says she welcomes the feedback even when she was told her skirt (a little tight over the rear) looked vulgar! But reading the post and the commentary made me realise we don’t get enough helpful feedback about our appearance these days.
- There used to be clear rules – Boateng refers to the grey suit, white shirt rule. Most of these have gone (including always wear a hat when going out)
- The rules were passed down in the family, or perhaps through “home ec”, peers and the press
- Fashion was less fluid in the past- skirt lengths, lapel width, hat brim sizes – were all laid down and lasted a year or so before changing
- Today the fashion is anything goes, to some extent, but it is easy to get it wrong
- We worry far more about being overdressed than underdressed
- It is hard to get unbiased advice from salespeople, who are often on commission
- Our default is to play it safe – hence everyone wearing black or denim, trousers and t shirts, jersey and trainers, most of the time
- Many of us are so self-critical about our appearance that our confidence in who we are is threatened, and we try to fade away or blend in, fearful of standing out
- When people dress up they purchase unnatural, awkward “occasion” clothes put together by John Lewis or Debenhams – eg very high heels, tight dresses, dated middle of the road styles, gaudy-matchy colour schemes
My advice is the same as Ozwalds’ – find your own authentic style, find a kind friend (or professional advisor) with a good eye for honest feedback, dare to be different as well as true to yourself. If it suits you it is good, and others will see it. If your style includes a hat and you look good and feel good, then I guarantee the watcher will read this as a positive, individual style statement and it will generally make them feel happy too.
I will finish with a profound point. Recent political events in Britain have shown how few people are willing to take a lead. Those that step forward are often vilified. Our fear of what others will think/say/feel holds us back. Have courage – this is what genuine style is all about.
Rainshore update – problems with the bathroom
Maybe I am overstating that – “problems with the bathroom” – but Nick has been fretting about the design of the bathroom, and this week we resolved it.
Below you can see a photograph of the room ready to get what it needs to make it into a bathroom. You will see that we now have a house that has electrics, plumbing, plaster and whitewashed. Yea! That is progress and overall once a home is plastered it feels like it’s nearly finished. Like when you sew up the side seams of your dress, put in the zip and try it on. Of course there is still so much to do (facings, lining, hem etc) but you have the form completed and you can try it on. The house is like that now. The next stage will be the floors, skirting and staircase as the woodwork goes in.
So what is the problem with the bathroom? The problem goes back to our design. Most of the homes on the estate are designed for holiday use and lettings. The design maximises the number of bedrooms and bathrooms to give maximum letting flexibility. We didn’t like this approach. We found the bedrooms too small and the bathrooms too large and plentiful. Nick and I use bathrooms mainly for washing etc and, given my daily gym trips I use the shower twice or three times a week. Nick is a bit OCD about personal hygiene and often showers twice a day. I know you are thinking “too much information” and “I hope she is not going to talk about toilets”. OK I won’t. But when you are designing a home you really need to think about what matters to you, how you use space and facilities, where you want your wow factors, what you use storage for, how you want the house to flow. So, in the planning, we talked a lot about the bathrooms (and bedrooms) and how we wanted to use them.
Rainshore has three bathrooms, all very much smaller than on the original plans. They are functional rather than having the Wow factor.
Now, as you know, I work in property development and wow-bathrooms are all the rage in London. As we build small flats on the whole (land in the capital is eye-watering expensive), often with internal bathrooms (ie no natural light) we have to work quite hard to make them look attractive. Here is an image from one of our new developments in the Royal Docks (Newham). This is not my personal cup of tea, but it shows that modern bathrooms are both fairly large, often include a bath and use interesting and attractive materials. In fact due to disability regulations often the bathrooms are designed so they can be used by a wheelchair user, leaving the bedrooms and communal areas rather small and restricted. I have a bee in my bonnet about how much space we give to bathrooms. So our bathrooms, at Rainshore, and in our current flat, are as small as you can make them, with a focus on functionality.
So back to our “master bathroom”.
We knew (as well as a WC and WHB – toilet and basin) we wanted a double shower, to allow for shower sharing. Again this maybe too much information but even if you are dedicated to privacy having double the space in the shower is nice. But we wanted two shower heads with two independent sets of controls. He likes very hot, I like hottish. And my showers are shorter as I don’t wash my hair everyday. (See what I mean – it is probably very tedious for you to read this stuff). We also wanted to turn on the water without getting a wet sleeve. The shower heads are recessed into the ceiling so all you see is chrome circle with tiny holes and the water comes down on your head from above (if you stand directly underneath). So all this was considered by us and our architect.
As we went on Rachel (the architect) suggested we put a bath in too. Sometimes you want a bath, sometimes visitors want a bath, sometimes little kids come to stay and need a bath, occasionally crafting activities need a large vessel. OK. So we decided to include a bath. So two showers and a bath were designed. Here are the plans.
This week we decided on the type of bath that will go into the back of the bathroom. After lots of mind changing we went with a free-standing bath. This will sit at the back of the space and the two showers will be set in front of it. They may splash a bit onto to the bath, but we think there is enough space to minimise this. It would be possible to have a shower while someone was having a bath, if you wanted. We have specified neutral white and off white wall and floor tiles. And then Nick chose a mirror from the Arts and Crafts period. Together I think these two features give us sufficient “wow”.
And just because you have been very patient here is a picture of my sewing room. It’s going to be magnificent.
Women in politics – Theresa May
Recently we got our second female Prime Minister, Theresa May. So far she has been doing OK, but she has a heck of a job in front of her. Sorting out a new relationship with Europe in a period of austerity and industrial decline isn’t an easy job. But as I always say this is a style and sewing blog, so what do we think of the clothes?
I have had my eye on Mrs May for a while as one of the very few politicians who seems to actually like clothes and enjoy fashion. Although she is very much a mainstream Tory MP she takes quite a lot of risks with her outfits, which I have to admire.
Theresa has a good semi-straight figure with rather wide shoulders and not much indentation at the waist. I think she may be self conscious of her shoulders as she is sometimes a bit hunched. She ought to feel proud of herself and her country and stand a little taller. Her best feature is surely her long, slim legs and her thick, grey hair.
Let’s have a look at what she has been wearing.
Here are some hits. A clean, sharp outline; tidy hair; largish silvery jewellry, good red lipstick, authority colours – navy and black – with a splash of colour – red, lime green and khaki, sleeves which show off her arms and hands; emphasis on the legs. The first outfit is really nice – I am pretty sure it’s a Vivienne Westwood number with the skirt pulled to the side and the overlarge buttons. The second picture is a little more conservative but very elegant and “in charge”. The shoes stop it being too much like a school speech day. And I really like the brownish-greenish suit with a black coat in the third picture. I would have found a more interesting bag and gloves to lift this outfit – mauve or emerald perhaps.
Now let’s look at Theresa in trousers. Trouser suits. Pant suits. I just don’t think these work as well. Again I am guessing we have Westwood outfits, so no shortage of wow factor. But somehow by failing to style them effectively Theresa seems to have driven the irony out of them. The first blue-grey suit has a peculiar semi-padded lapel, which just looks a bit like a life-jacket. It might have worked with a more important blouse, in a stripe or a contrasting colour, and the necklace is just too “Marks and Sparks” for the outfit. It needs a gekko or a nice antique brooch perhaps. And the light blue bag is completely wrong.
I feel if you wear an “out there” outfit you need to follow it through and really wear it with conviction. If you don’t it kind of wears you. And the same is true of the tartan pant suit. It makes a real statement (she didn’t wear this for meeting Nicola Sturgeon), but why wear a boring black belt, cream blouse and a teeny tiny pin badge? A neat black cashmere tank top and a big silver ring, or wear just trousers with a bottle green fitted blouse and leave the jacket for another day. Maybe a red belt and shoes would look better? The final outfit is much more conservative and dated. But I like the narrower trousers better than the fashionable wide legs.
Although Theresa looks good in trousers by choosing a wide leg she makes her whole body appear a bit, well, wide. The narrow navy pants show her ankles and look much better. When she shows her legs she looks slimmer and taller. I think both these Westwood jackets would be better with a neat skirt, bare-coloured tights and cool shoes.
Sometimes Mrs May looks a bit of a mess. In these images Theresa has made a mistake of creating too much fuss. The patchwork Westwood jacket needs a more streamlined partner. This jacket might just about be OK over say a close fitting green or purple dress, but not with the swagged skirt – she looks like a parcel. The light grey pant suit is too shiny and makes her look rather bulky. The patterned multi coloured coat is horrible and I am sorry to say that red boots are never a good look. The accessories are poor too – beige gloves, tan bag, red boots and abstract painting coat is just weird.
In conclusion our new PM is interested in fashion and is willing to take risks. She has a sense of fun and drama and is brave and adventurous. The Daily Mail even suggested she is dressing like Cara Delevingne.
The clothes the Prime Minister chooses help to make her more accessible to women and help her stand out in a sea of men. She can look great when she obeys a few style rules. Dear Theresa, here are my suggestions:
- Get a good hair cut! The accidental central parting, and the sometimes fluffy/messy outline is not so good. You need a hair style that looks good at all times, in all weathers
- Stock up on a good neutral wardrobe avoiding patterns on the outerwear – navy, charcoal, khaki, dark brown, mid grey, airforce blue
- Smart dresses in a solid colour with an interesting twist work well
- Pencil skirts in plain fabrics or a small texture (eg tweed) are nice
- Wear a proper blouse not a T shirt. You need more authority. If you want a round neck avoid showing the cleavage and chose silk not cotton jersey
- Trousers suits are OK if they fit nicely and flatter your figure, Consider slim-fitting trousers or shorter lengths eg shorts, culottes, or a nice jump suit
- Invest in some great coats that cover up everything and look very smart. Strong colours are OK eg red, shocking pink, yellow
- Think about shoes, belts and bags as a set – not matching but working together to support the overall look. In fact get someone else to carry your bag
- Get some better jewellery from Liberty or choose interesting vintage pieces
- Don’t be frightened to wear a hat to church services and other formal occasions
- Always wear red lipstick and just a little make up
- Most of your shoes are great but the flashy boots are just a bit too theatrical
- Wear British designers and include products from Scotland, Ireland and Wales eg knitwear, Welsh woolens, Irish linen, tweeds, tartan and Scottish cashmere
- Smile more
Experimenting with “free vintage hat patterns”
I am worried my blog about style and stitching, fit and fashion might become a blog about hats! I have gone a bit hat-crazy over the last couple of weeks!
I went on a short course and I hope to do more, when time and funds allow. In the meantime I have searched for hat patterns. Vogue and other pattern houses produced several hat patterns, especially in the 1940s when everyone wore a hat. Today many of these patterns are available as reproductions, but they are rather expensive (around £15 each). As they are very small, essentially rather simple, patterns, I am going to see if I can do it myself. If I can I will share my approaches with you.
My first step was to see what free patterns were out there. The first is from Constance Talbot’s Complete Book of Sewing 1943. Demented Fairy will be pleased to note that Connie knows her triangles!
I like the look of this lady in her intriguing 1940s hat. As I read through the instructions I realised we have a woollen triangle with the cross grain across the top and the bias down the two sides. I cut out a nice piece of blue wool I got at Abakhan and zig zagged the edges. I tried following the instructions for putting it on but they didn’t make any sense to me. Canyou figure it out? I wore it like this – 1940s housewife style – on my day out with Megan. But it was far too hot to keep it on.
Then there is the Mad Cap pattern. And here are the instructions, from the Art Deco society of California. I cut the rectangle of fabric on the bias, sewed it up and lined the inside hem with a piece of vintage ribbon.
I love this hat. I made one in the same blue wool as the top hat (not a top hat – more like a little scarf) and I got my Mum to model it for me. I have been wearing this hat quite often too. It’s really fun. You can shape and model it once you have it on, in front of the mirror. Alternatively you could mould it into the style you like and then stitch it down. You could easily put a brooch or flower or badge on this hat. You could make it out of fleece or knit one. It is a truly great pattern and I really encourage you to give it a try.
The final hat I tried is more like a blocked hat.
You can find the instructions here, on the Tuppence Ha’penny website. However I didn’t find them very accurate or useful, I am afraid. The diagrams are good (from the original Vogue 8426 (1943), and you will be able to see how to construct the pattern. But I remade the pattern mainly because it was too small to sit on my head. I increased the length of the side band from 18″ to 21″ so that the hat would sit as the drawings below suggest. I also very slightly curved the Side piece by removing 1/2″ in 1/8″ slivers at four symmetrical points. The website also fails to specify the depth of the hat. Having tried on the paper pattern I suggest the depth of the hat would be about 2 1/4″. I used 1/2″ seam allowances throughout. Tuppence Ha’penny suggests using pelmet interfacing (upholstery product) which I think would do the trick. I was keen to use my Fosshape.
I used the pattern to cut out my fabric pieces. Fosshape shrinks when heated so I didn’t remove the full seam allowances – just 1/4″ all round. I have since found out that Fosshape can shrink as much as 30 per cent. I used the overlocker to join the top to the sides and hand stitching to finish it with a simple overlapped seam at the CB. I steamed it on an up turned glass jar as it needed something to hold its shape when steaming.I used my steam iron and a wet linen drying cloth to do this. Of course a wooden hat block with a nice crisp shape would have been better had I had the right equipment.
I am not very satisfied with this hat, mainly because of the sweet jar being a bit rounded, when this hat needs a sharp edge. I didn’t get the size of the gre wool covering quite right either and it has pulled to one side (since corrected) Also a tiny bit of Fosshape got tucked under when I was pressing, and it’s now permanently bent out of shape. But it’s all learning.
I used the same cheap petals I got at the Earls Court exhibition for £2. Having used some on my 1940s hat I still have enough left to create a third hat. And here is my sweet Mum wearing the hat.
Six Napoleon dress – painting the fabric
The original inspiration for this dress is black, and grey, and somewhat grungy. It is dark and dramatic.
I wanted mine to be a summer dress, not evening wear.
I decided to make it white rather than black, but realised this might be a bit wedding-y. In fact when I was cutting out the bodice I reached for some white guipure lace I have, thinking of creating some of the panels with a lace overlay. And then I realised that this was a wedding idea too.
So to subvert the wedding dress idea I decided to add some colour – through painting it with fabric paints. It is a challenge as while the bodice is a solid cotton fabric the skirt is diaphanous and takes the colour completely differently. Here are a couple of samples. In order to create a harmonious look the colours need to work together, but as you can already see one looks a bit like oils/acrylic, and the other like water colour.
I have two ideas that I keep coming back to, in terms of colour. The first is the Burberry/Bloomsbury collection. And actually Burberry do such amazing things with colour.
The other idea is from Schiaparelli. This 1946 dinner dress is held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is printed rayon crepe. The print is known as Les Vieux Beaux (The Old Beauties). The fabric was designed by Sache in Paris (Accession Number: 1969-232-28) The Museum writes:
The fabric print, by the master silk designer Sache, features fin-de-siècle boulevardiers twirling canes and wearing derbies, top hats, or straw boaters. Sache provided designs to all the great haute-couture houses, from Balenciaga to Worth, and was responsible for translating Dalí’s design for a lobster onto silk organza for Schiaparelli in 1937.
I like the idea here of drawing some little figures and then colouring them in.
I know I can’t get my colours as vibrant with the equipment I have at home. But all these ideas are swirling in my head as I carry out the construction of the dress.
With it having a white background I want to let it breathe so I am inching towards the Schiaparelli idea. Both I and my son Gus love doing little drawings when we are sitting in meetings (listening intently). Doodling was what we all did before the days of fiddling with a phone.
Here are some of his doodles that I love. Maybe a collaboration is possible.
In terms of actual colours I always come back to the same themes. I wonder if I can break away this time?
If I take the Schiaparelli as my inspiration I would use:
- bright blue
- rose pink
- dark green
- red
- mint
- red
- mauve
I would leave out the orange and the peachy pink. And I would get a marker pen in navy or dark brown instead of black. This because I find black too harsh, and the orangey reds and peaches are not my best colours. But I still like the idea of having lots of colour on the dress. I have been painting little faces on cloth with a fabric felt tip and colouring them in. I am not sure if this is going to work. Tune in next week for Napoleon Six progress.
Shopping for fabric in London – market shops review
I covered the best places to shop for fabric in London and was prompted by a couple of readers to try two of our famous East London markets – Ridley Road (in Hackney) and Walthamstow market (in Waltham Forest). Happily they were ready and able to come with me to take a look, so I had a couple of nice days out.
First it was off to Ridley Road with Gail of Vintage Rock Chic. Gail felt I needed to experience Dalston Mill Fabrics in glorious technicolour. Gill used to be in the police but now she is retired and looking forward to moving to Norfolk to be closer to her family. She is a generous, sensitive and interesting woman and she kindly made me a needle holder from vintage fabrics. I am going to use this to store my special needles. Mary Funt brought me some amazing hand sewing needles, and specialist basting needles. And now I am in the market for “straws” – do you know what they are? – I will put them in there too.
We met at the Dalston Kingsland overground station and set off to examine the market goods. But our real objective was to visit this shop which looks very scruffy from the outside – Dalston Mill Fabrics.
Thing about this shop is – they have lots of stock. They have good quality fabrics. They have lots of buttons, zips etc. They have helpful staff. They get some nice end of rolls from Hobbs. But. But the prices are too high for me. The fabrics I picked out were nice quality wools, but they wanted £17.50, £25 and £30 per metre. Far too expensive for me.
Gill could tell I was disappointed. I wasn’t really. It was fun to go out and look round. But if I were to spend this amount on cloth (probably not) I would expect a high street shop, with space, prices on the rolls, not a dilapidated store with the back door open onto the railway to ventilate the place.
We went for a drink at an outside cafe run by an enterprising Eastern European (£1 for a cup of tea – which is good value). We had a good look at the African fabric shops (Gail was looking for pink), the Ghanaian hair dresser, the live African snails, the wonderful fresh fish, the inexpensive vegetables – where the contents of every plastic bowl costs just £1. We had fun talking about children, grandchildren, London, dressmaking and cooking. Gail likes making cakes but is says she is quite conservative with her taste (but she was making a Micky Mouse dress for her great niece’s birthday party).
My other trip out was with Megan from Pigeon Wishes. Megan claims she has a problem with shopping and says she is trying to learn to buy less. As a precaution she came out with just £20 for a whole Saturday. Hmm I thought.
Here is what she spent it on
Six metres of orange drapy fabric @50p p/m £3
Two cups of tea @£1 £2
Jamaican spices for curry £3.50
Aubergines and corriander £2
Black striped fabric for a dress £3.50
Green viscose £4.00
Pink fabric £2
Megan is an expert shopper. She came prepared with a list of the best shops, and a map and whisked me around with just a short break for a cup of tea (also just £1 – these markets are much cheaper than the hipster cafes of Shoreditch or Starbucks etc).
It was while we were having our cup of tea that Megan’s eye alighted on a sign which advertised fabric at 50p a yard (the markets of London often offer fabric in metric or imperial – lots of work for the cashier). We went in and found that most of the cheap stuff was very stretchy. Megan, who wants to make up a full length 1930s bias cut evening dress, was looking for toile material that would behave like silk. I offered to help her with the fitting. I love her sense of adventure.
So what did I buy on two outings to the London markets?
Mainly food – peppers, avos, coriander, parsley, salad. Some prawns. But in terms of fabrics I got some yellow linen from TMOS (£3m), some lining from Saeeds, and some stretch sateen from the Textile centre. Nothing exciting. But good fabric, good prices. The weather was very hot and we had lots of fun. But my advice would be to go early and just try three or four shops. I was exhausted when I got home.
So farewell then Angela Eagle
Earlier this week we said Goodbye to Samantha Cameron – the beautiful and stylish wife of our ex-Prime Minister David Cameron.
And then on Tuesday we heard that the only woman standing for the Labour leadership – the want-to-be Prime Minister – was standing down from a difficult contest. I like Angela Eagle and find her compelling and funny. I would have been happy if Labour had shown it was changing by finally choosing a female leader who is both smart and able to connect with ordinary people.
On the other hand I did not like her sense of style, if I am honest.
Let’s see how she launched her campaign.
What does the image say to you? Pink? Barbi? Messy? Unprofessional? Like an advert for a cheap perfume or “body spray”? Funny signature that reads as Arghhhh!? Distorted pink Union flag? Perhaps Angela has a friend who qualified in graphic design a few decades ago who offered her time for free.
I was embarrassed for her. She is brave and intelligent. She is (as I am afraid all politicians now have to emphasise their “personal story” over their political stance) a working class northern woman. She is good on the media, with an engaging manner. But whoever “branded” her, going out and buying the shocking pink and salmon satin jackets, should be sacked immediately.
Everyone knows that Labour has, historically, employed style consultants, especially to advise their women how to dress. And there is nothing wrong with that. But if it is formulaic it stops working. Getting style advice is good if it allows you to be the best version of yourself. Not if it makes you into something you are not.
Let’s see Angela before the rebrand. What do you notice immediately? (Apart from her hair, which I will come to).
Angela’s outfits are basically trousers, a top and a jacket. And I would suggest she doesn’t “do” colour. She prefers black, grey and a bit of beige. Her red is dark and boring. Her jewellry is a necklace. She doesn’t worry too much about her appearance because she is a serious politician, and that is OK. If someone has a “natural” wardrobe personality this has to be reflected in how they advised. Angela wants her clothes to be in the background – not to detract. She wants practical, easy clothes. There is absolutely no point making her uncomfortable.
If I was advising Angela I would understand that she likes to look natural (and authentic) and I would encourage her to stop dying her hair as it is making her look drained and old (she is 55). Also it sometimes looks likes she trims her own fringe. I would schedule a six weekly hair cut with a good hairdresser. She needs a modern wash-and-go style that looks good with no blow drying or products. I would find a couple of optional lipsticks that complement her light cool colouring. And I would stick with the neutral trouser suits/jacket and non-matching pants, but would look for a more flattering shape – most of her jackets and trousers are middle-aged and dated. She might consider a few modern but classic tailor-made suits that would fit well and show off her nice shape. Also there are far better versions of flat shoes out there – the ones she wear are “comfy but frumpy” – have a look at brogues, loafers and more youthful shapes.
But I would also step away from the black. Angela has very light colouring and would look much better if her neutrals were light grey, beige and mid blue – even white. Having chosen a classic suit or more elegant jacket and trousers, perhaps introducing some texture would be flattering. I would make the blouse/jumper/top more of a main event too, using colour and pattern to create interest and style. The pastels are a bit predictable but might be good, but slightly stronger colours would work too. I would be prepared to bet that Angela doesn’t like ironing, but I would urge her to try a smart white shirt instead of the jacket sometimes to convey authority and a willingness to get the job done. You can always get them washed and ironed professionally. But getting the hair right is at least half the story.
I love pink, and I probably wear some pink two or three times a week. It is the traditional feminine colour and it can work very well with an aging complexion, making the wearer look more rosy, healthy and glowing. But it has connotations of femininity that are hard to ignore. It is important not to be afraid of pink, but don’t get hemmed in by it. Wear it with a little irony, if you can (unless you are a romantic dresser). But why Labour’s leading woman was encouraged to brand herself in pink is unfathomable. It just doesn’t convey the authority that is needed, and it is not true to the woman being promoted.
Look at this too. In the last election Labour, in an attempt to get women to vote for the party, sent a bunch of women MPs round the country in a pink bus.
Women’s issues are serious issues – fair pay, job opportunities, the need for affordable child care and housing, the right to choose. And we are interested in foreign policy, and education, health, science, industrial policy and safety too (just like men). So come on Angela – show real leadership – get the party to drop the pink, and fight for women.
Six Napoleon dress – preparing the skirt
With a growing group of international pattern drafters and dress makers, orchestrated by Sew2Pro, I have been trying to recreate a complicated asymmetric dress. Known as Six Napoleon, it is designed by Japanese-Austrailian designer Dogstar. I made a reasonable fist of the bodice, receiving a little help from my pattern cutting teacher. But the term ended two weeks ago and I am on my own for the skirt. Well not completely. The others in the group are posting their experiments and findings on their blogs. Below is the inspiration picture we are all using. You can see that the skirt is very full and has lots of body, despite it being translucent and delicate. It is made with 8 metres of silk organza, and six metres of lining fabric. It appears to have a knee length section and one or two under layers. At its longest point it comes almost to the ground. I think the original hat two colours – grey on black. It looks like the hems are faced rather than hemmed.
The image below appears to be a skirt which looks alot like the Napoleon Six dress and this may just be a similar skirt from the same designer, but it may be the underskirt. Certainly the pleating looks familiar.
Design analysis
There are several layers to this dress. I will be drafting a knee length organza over skirt skirt; a maxi length organza skirt with distinctive handkerchief point godet; a maxi length underskirt and a lining.
In terms of creating the pattern we could use either draping or flat pattern cutting. The Challenge organiser Marianna originally suggested the skirt should be draped, and she may well be right. But I thought I might try it as a flat pattern cutting exercise. I found it quite a difficult exercise as there are lots of things going on – it is asymmetric, many layered and involves two sorts of pleats, a godet, plus and uneven hem. Although I have done a term of Intermediate pattern cutting, I would say this is advanced cutting. Nevertheless determination, logic and a few books have helped me tackle difficult projects before, so I was keen to give it a go.
Here is what I did.
- This skirt is going to be attached to the bodice so trace off the bottom of the bodice pattern (from the waist) so that you have a hip line to work with.
- Mark the CF and CB on this guide pattern
- Mark where all the bodice seams join the skirt (as this is where the fullness in the skirt will emanate from)
- Now trace off a basic skirt block at the hip line (which means there are no darts) to fit into this guide pattern
- Slash the skirt into 8 equal parts and spread the pattern to create a flared skirt. This is your flared skirt foundation and will be used for the underskirt and the lining later.
- To make the maxi length skirt: Use the flared skirt foundation and add 26 cms to make it maxi length. Mark where you wish to place a pleat or a box pleat. On the front I created two box pleats and two regular pleats. I used a measurement of 4.5cm for the under/overlap of the pleats. At the back I used less pleats.
- Slash along the line of where the pleats are going and add sufficient paper for the pleats (ie 9cm for the pleats and 18cm for the box pleats)
- Now create additional flare in the feature box pleat by slash and spread
- Create additional flare at the points where the seams join the bodice where there is not a pleat or box pleat already. By doing this I found the front and back patterns became more or less quater circles. When joined together it will be basically a half circle skirt – with flares, pleats and godets.
Front skirt piece with inserted pleats - Create a pattern for the handkerchief point godet. This will be seamed in within the feature box pleat.
Godet pattern (since lengthed) - To create the knee length overskirt use the same pattern as the maxi but without the added length and without the godet.
- Now create the underskirt and lining. For both I used the flared skirt foundation (step 5) and lengthened it to about 30cm at its longest point.
- Add grain lines, seam and hem allowances.
In terms of construction my friend Annie suggests we have a look at McCalls 6396. I think this is helpful, as a start. I intend to face the hems so I will cut some bias strips measuring about 4″.
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